Regular readers of Inhabitat are likely to be familiar with Studio H. The high school design/build curriculum, which was founded by friend of Inhabitat Emily Pilloton, creates large-scale community development projects that are designed and built by students. Now, Studio H is planning to build an 800-square-foot classroom at REALM Charter School in Berkeley, CA that will be made from three recycled shipping containers. To raise funds for materials, Studio H just launched a Kickstarter campaign — show your support for this innovative project and donate now!

The new indoor/outdoor classroom will serve as an instructional space, and it will also be a flexible space that can be used for dining, meetings and after-school activities. The design concept will use three free-standing shipping containers from the nearby Port of Oakland as the structural core of the classroom. The containers will be spaced apart evenly, and their interior-facing sides will be removed to create a single open space. The metal that is removed from the sides will then be repurposed into sliding doors.

Studio H likes to refer to itself as “shop class with a purpose,” and indeed it is. Through the program, teenagers gain valuable experience thinking critically and creatively in a group, and they also get to get their hands dirty and learn how to use power tools. In addition to designing and building the structure, 10th-grade students will also be creating the furniture and fixtures for the new interior space.

Design work began earlier this fall, and the team has already started building the deck and cleaning up the containers. But they need your support to see the project through. Head over to Kickstarter and donate!